Oxford University Press – A Dot in the Snow Book Review

25th November 2017

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Corinne Averiss (Author), Fiona Woodcock (Illustrator)

You know this book is going to be fabulous, right from the front cover – the title in gorgeous, glittery lettering and the characters sharing an ‘eskimo kiss’ holds so much promise for what’s to come.  The beautiful cover is a precursor for a magical winter story of a friendship forged in the snow.

Mikki, the young polar bear, wants to play.  Leaving his Mum behind, he scampers through the snowy landscape in search of adventures.  In the distance, he spots a red ‘dot’ so he races towards it, curious to find out what it is.  Mikki greets the dot who turns out to be a young girl, lost in the snow.  He likes the dot’s smell, it’s ‘twinkly face’ and the gurgling (laughing!) sound it made.  A friendship was born as the two race off together, throwing snowballs and sliding down the hill.  Suddenly, Mikki notices that ‘a red thing was missing from one of the Dot’s paws.’  He retraces their steps in search of the mitten and bravely overcomes his fear of diving in order to retrieve it as it sinks down through the icy water.  On his return, Mikki spots that the ice is cracking everywhere, a stark reminder of the environmental issues affecting the polar regions.

Carefully, the pair make their way back across the ice to safety but when trying to return to their play space, the snowfall makes it difficult to see.  The illustrations of this snowy landscape are magical, full of atmosphere and beauty.  But what is that in the distance?  It’s another red dot…it’s Mummy Dot!  Although Mikki is sad at losing his new friend, he realises that he missed his Mum so trudges back through the snow to return home.  Mikki is so tired when he finds his Mum that he is too tired to swim to her.  Mum gives him a ride to a safe place and afterwards he soon drifts off into a deep sleep with no time to even talk about his new friend and their adventures.

This simple story of a new friendship in a wintry landscape is magical.  The beautiful illustrations bring the characters and environment to life and form a stunning backdrop for the text.  It’s difficult not to fall in love with Mikki and his little friend, ‘The Dot.’

This review was done by Emma Davis. Get in touch if you have a book you would like reviewed today!

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